Nanotechnology Research Laboratories

The Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a collaborative nanoscience user research facility for the synthesis, characterization, theory, modeling, simulation, and design of nanoscale materials. It is one of five Nanoscale Science Research Centers currently being established by the Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy.

The mission of the Tennessee Nanotech Alliance (TNA) is to create a collaborative effort across the State of Tennessee to identify the emerging opportunities and address the challenges of nanotechnology.

The lab is focused on the creative design of energy storage platforms that be integrated into technology and/or replace fossil fuels. Central to everything they do is the development of new materials that are engineered at nanometer length scales, and developed using scalable and cost-effective approaches. This has far-reaching applications spanning aerospace systems, robotics, smart buildings, flexible electronics, and more.

The Rosenthal group studies semiconducting nanocrystals. They are specifically interested in two applications exploiting the properties of nanocrystals: the use of nanocrystals as the light harvesting element in photovolatic devices and the use of fluorescent nanocrystals as biological probes for membrane proteins involved in neuronal signaling.